As a track fan, you can’t help but feel the electricity Keely Hodgkinson brings to the 800m. The 23-year-old British star, who clinched Olympic gold in Paris 2024 with a stunning 1:56.72, has been a sensation since her silver at Tokyo 2020 at just 19, breaking Kelly Holmes’ British record. Named BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024, she’s medaled at every major championship since, including silvers at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships and golds at the 2022 and 2024 European Championships. But this week, news dropped that she withdrew from the London Diamond League on July 19, 2025. Why skip such a big home meet? Let’s dig into the details.

Why did Keely Hodgkinson withdraw from the London Diamond League 2025?

Hodgkinson’s team put out the statement on her withdrawal from the London meet, stating, “The London meet has come slightly too soon in her return to competition. Together with her team, she has made the decision to delay her season opener by a few more weeks to ensure she is fully race-ready.” This follows her earlier withdrawals from Stockholm’s Diamond League on June 15 and the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene after a setback in her recovery from a February hamstring injury.

Last year, she set a British 800m record of 1:54.61 at London Stadium, making her absence a blow for fans. “Keely had been looking forward to returning to the London Stadium,” her team noted, but her focus is on peaking for the World Championships in Tokyo (September 13-21). With such a big goal ahead, is her cautious approach the right move?

How serious is Keely Hodgkinson’s injury?

Hodgkinson’s 2025 season has been plagued by a hamstring tear sustained in February during her final training session before the Keely Klassic, a Birmingham event she founded. She told Sky Sports News, “I’m not going to be running for a little while,” estimating recovery could take “up to six weeks, it could be quicker, it could be longer.”

The injury ended her indoor season and forced her to skip her planned 800m indoor world record attempt. A June setback further delayed her outdoor debut, though she is now back in full training. Her team emphasized, “After experiencing a minor setback earlier in the summer, Keely is now back in full training and progressing rapidly.” With rivals like Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma and Kenya’s Mary Moraa, who took silver and bronze in Paris, awaiting her in Tokyo, can she regain her explosive form?

Looking Ahead to Tokyo and Beyond

Hodgkinson’s sights are set on Tokyo’s World Championships, where she aims to upgrade her two silvers to gold. “Her priority remains arriving at the World Championships in Tokyo this September in peak form,” her team confirmed. She’s targeting Jarmila Kratochvilova’s 1983 world record of 1:53.28, having come close with her 1:54.61 in 2024. Her confirmed participation in the female-only Athlos event in New York on October 10 signals confidence in her recovery. With a history of resilience, overcoming a 2015 mastoidectomy that left her 95% deaf in one ear and battling knee issues as a teen, Hodgkinson’s no stranger to adversity. Will she storm back to claim that elusive world title and cement her legacy?